International Women's Day

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What does International Women’s Day mean in Australia and for Australian women? What are we celebrating?

Sue Conde, United Nations Development Fund for Women (Australia) informs us that this years International Women’s Day theme is “women and men uniting to end violence against women and girls”…

Why do we celebrate International Women’s Day but refuse to ask why Australian women and their children in foreign jurisdictions who experience domestic violence and systemic and judicial discrimination, failures, inequities and inadequacies that deprive them of the safety and justice they need and deserve do not receive any of the compassion, support, advocacy or assistance that the Australian government, organisations and advocates provide other Australians in difficult circumstances in foreign jurisdictions receive?

Why is it acceptable to politicians, academics and advocates that the Australian government condones violence, discrimination and injustice against Australian women and children in foreign jurisdictions by providing financing to these jurisdictions - despite extensive information and documentation regarding these jurisdictions use of resources to deny Australian children and women the safety and justice they need and deserve?

How can we celebrate International Women’s Day and talk about our collective responsibility to eradicate violence and discrimination against women while so many public servants, leaders, politicians, academics and others choose the narrowest possible definitions of their positions and appointments so as to claim they do not have the opportunity, ability or responsibility to assist or even speak publicly about these experiences of violence, injustice, human rights abuses and discrimination that have traumatised Australian women and their children?

What does International Women’s Day mean when Australians who have chosen to commit known crimes or participate in known dangerous activities receive government intervention and consular assistance in foreign jurisdictions but Australian women and their children who been the victims of the crime of domestic violence and systemic and judicial failures and discrimination are told the government cannot intervene and they have to deal with the situation on their own?

Why does the Australian government then reward foreign jurisdictions that use their resources to deny Australian women and their children justice and safety human and condone these human rights and justice violations by financing these foreign jurisdictions? And how is this related to our acknowledgement and celebration of International Women’s Day?

Why will none of the politicians, academics, advocates, legal experts and organisations who so publicly insisted the government ensure David Hicks human rights and right to “judicial fairness” and was brought home to Australia, ignore these Australian women and their children when they beg them to ensure their human rights and similar right to “judicial fairness”? Why does no one publicly question this – and what does this mean when these same politicians, academics, advocates, legal experts and organisations “celebrate” International Women’s’ Day while keeping these secrets?

If so much effort is so successfully expended to keep these issues regarding Australian women’s lived reality out of the public discourse and unaddressed, then what other issues and experiences of discrimination, inequity, human rights and justice violations against Australian women are ignored and kept secret?

So, what are we celebrating on International Women’s Day?

What does International Women’s Day mean in Australia when it is privately stated that “female politicians will not speak up about these issues for fear of backlash” but this is never publicly discussed or questioned?

What does it mean to acknowledge International Women’s Day in Australia when Australian government and non-government delegates to international meetings such as this month’s United Nations 53rd Convention on the Status of Women ignore Australian women in these traumatic, dangerous, unjust and discriminatory situations and refuse to provide them any support, assistance or advocacy or even bring these issues into the public discourse?

What are we celebrating on International Women’s Day when women’s groups say they can’t speak up about these issues of the government refusing to assist Australian women and children who have experienced domestic violence and systemic and judicial failures because if they did so they would lose their government funding?

What does it mean in Australia to celebrate International Women’s Day when state and federal government appointed council’s who will influence policy on violence against women accept terms of reference that specifically preclude addressing or sharing any information about these issues, despite being personally approached by women begging for assistance and support? What does it mean that these government appointed bodies not only keep these traumatic realities and injustices against Australian women secret but are also choosing to withhold this information from all other Australian women to protect them from a possible similar traumatic experience?

What are we celebrating on International Women’s Day when domestic violence academics refuse to provide any assistance, advocacy or support, but appropriate for their personal teaching purposes information sent in confidence by women begging for assistance? What are we celebrating for women when domestic violence academics and advocates are aware of but do not question or censure their colleague’s behaviour?

What does it mean on International Women’s Day that the same media, who keeps the secret of this violence and injustice against Australian women and their children, celebrates and quotes the politicians, academics and advocates they know are also keeping the secret? What does it mean that the media refuses to make public any of these issues – even to warn Australian women about these dangerous, traumatic, unjust and discriminatory possibilities!

What does it mean when federal ministers make a joint statement regarding Australia signing the Optional Protocol on the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) that will come into effect by International Women’s Day this year but neither of them will assist or advocate for Australian children and women who have experienced violence and injustice in foreign jurisdictions or believe these innocent and vulnerable Australian women and their children deserve any of the government compassion and assistance provided to other Australians overseas, including those that have chosen to participate in known dangerous and illegal activities?


What does it mean for Australian women as they “celebrate” International Women’s Day when popular women’s magazines who interviewed the prime ministerial candidates during federal electioneering and reported both these men’s supposed “zero tolerance” of violence against women and children withhold information from all their female readers that neither of these men will provide any assistance to Australian women and children who are begging for safety, support and justice and the opportunity to return to their families in Australia after experiencing domestic violence and judicial discrimination and inequities in foreign jurisdictions?

Will our current Prime Minister being making a public statement on International Women’s Day regarding his and his governments commitment to women’s equality, human rights and right to freedom from violence and discrimination? Will he then explain why despite having the time, resources and inclination to attend many cricket games he has not had the time, resource or inclination to respond to communication and extensive documentation regrading Australian women in desperate need of government assistance to deal with the violence and injustices they have experienced in foreign jurisdictions?

What are we celebrating about International Women’s Day when the domestic violence sector not only refuses to provide any support, assistance or advocacy for Australian women and their children who have experience violence and injustice overseas, but also refuses to use the information provided to protect other Australian women from a similar trauma or even publicly question the governments intervention for other Australians overseas while ignoring these innocent and vulnerable Australian women and children?

What does it mean to use public resources to promote and celebrate International Women’s Day when academics and organisations that also receive public funding refuse to use their resources and opportunity to speak out about these issues and withhold this information from the public who funds them?

What are we celebrating on International Women’s Day when women, who with their children have been traumatised by domestic violence and judicial and systemic discrimination and failures, beg for safety and justice and are told they need counselling or a psychiatrist instead? Why are women made feel there is something wrong with them instead of anyone speaking up and doing something about what is wrong with the abuse, injustice and discrimination these women and their children have experienced?

What does it mean when we celebrate International Women’s Day and refuse to discuss these issues and human rights violations against Australian women and their children?

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Happy International Women’s Day!